28 Apr 2012

This is part 2 of the Qureen Day our class has taken part in last Sunday. We were asked to make some outfits which are environmentally friendly. If it hadn't been for this day, you'd have never known how creative students were! It was so amazing! From paper to flowers, all of them can be combined and made into a beautiful outfit. Who says fashion is all about those luxurious materials?

This is the first one. I really love the flower :). Lovely colours, too! This was made from newspaper.

27 Apr 2012

So last Sunday our class took part in the Qureen (Queen + Green) Day of our English Department. It was amazing. We were so excited that we were the last to leave! Moreover, our class have won some great prizes, which were unexpected. All our efforts have paid off completely :). I still remember the fashion group had to stay at the campus to fold paper and paint. It was crazy!!! Anyway, we had so much fun and I really enjoyed that :). Here are some photos from those days. Enjoy!

I was in charge of painting the banner for our little food stand. We chose the hilarious name of Red-nailed Chicken :)), so I added two little chicks there. About the typeface, I found Ribbon absolutely suitable for the mood and it would go well with the design. I could only start making the banner on Saturday evening (I was so busy with other stuffs too), so I was running out of time. It is awful when you have to complete a banner (by hand!) in just an evening. But it also pushed my little creative bird to produce something really good I think. Yeah, pressure is good for you.

See the chick?

Then I printed out those lovely letters. I've been having this big crush on pastel colours so it obviously affected my choices. But pastels are sooooo pretty, aren't they?

A little mess before another *big* mess

I finished painting at around 3 in the morning (gosh!). I didn't feel asleep at any time. I was so into this that I completely forgot the time and everything around. When you're so passionate about things you love, you can easily get lost in them and forget the definition of time. Sometimes we call that a bad workaholic. Sometimes we don't. We see that as a little adventurous bird longing for exploring and creating. We can't be blamed for that, right?

Should I re-paint this onto a canvas? It looks quite good :) (I used a fabric pattern for this photo)

And here's the final product. I'm really proud of it :). 1BPD is our class' name. It's for Translation-Interpretation (freshman)

The table given to us was shorter than I imagined so we had to roll some paper parts inside. However, the decoration was quite good, and lovely :). We were not selling fast at the beginning, but things went smooth later. In the end, we made some profits! Our speciality was deep-fried quails' eggs wrapped in pumpkin powder. It was really tasty. Yum!

Lovely girl! You can see the banner behind her. It was raining so we had to move inside.

And here is our lovely model. She's super cute! The idea behind this newspaper dress is a combination of roses and ombre effects. It also relates to the warming earth. Roses were everywhere. Then they disappear due to the disastrous global warming. I really loved that interpretation.

We were folding paper roses here to make a small bouquet. We'd also folded about 70 or 80 roses for the top. It was insane!

I love this photo :). It was taken while she was stepping down the stairs.

And stopped right there. Now the speech explaining the idea for this dress starts. The speaker told me he was so scared standing in front of so many people. This dress could have been impossible without him and two other guys. So we proudly give them full credits here :'>. Good job guys!

After the performance. Say cheese!

You can look into all the details here. Those roses were not so hard to fold. You can make your own rose here. They also show you how to fold more complicated but very beautiful origami roses. I picked the standard rose (the easiest!) because our classmates who helped with the folding were not quite familiar with this. The whole dress was made of newspaper and a tremendous and laboured time to paint. We know we could use coloured paper but we sticked to painting because we wanted to express the whole idea of re-purposing.

Finally she could take off that dress (I know, it was crazy!). And the top was made into a lovely bouquet!

Keane once again gives me goosebumps. After watching the video teaser like 100(!) times, I'm still frightened by the end of the official one. Poor me and my headphones (and other headphones users out there). This video for their next single Disconnected from the album Strangeland, which will be released on May 7th, is their best one so far. I'm not very keen on their music videos and I believe many fans have shared the same idea. But this time we have to change our thoughts, apparently. The video is like a mini movie, and I love that!

They've made many interviews and acoustic sessions since the comeback show in Bexhill. And these live performances always remind me of why I love this band so much. Tom's voice sounds exactly and even better than the studio versions with this great energy which will leave an unforgettable impression on you. I myself have never been to any of their concerts, but I hope (yes, hope) one day I can make it. That would make me complete in many ways. And don't you forget the pure genius behind Keane, Tim Rice-Oxley. He's a real talent! I love how he can be honest and write all the lyrics that relate to many people like that. Many times I've cried while listening to "Atlantic", "Bend And Break" or, recently, the B-side "Myth". Music don't need to be about faraway things. It should be as close as the tears on your face.

It would be a joyous moment to see the band live. One day I hope :). In the meantime, I can enjoy these live performances. Youtube and Keane fans, you're my life-savers :))

I've had a busy week with exams and stuffs. I tend to get into a bad mood under pressure but I rarely tell people how terrible it is. So that's why many of my friends usually see a carefree girl who seems not to worry about anything. Sometimes I let myself get lost in this contemplation of why on earth I could put up with those things so well without a nervous breakdown. I did get one actually. A short one. But it was last week and it was another matter. Back to this week, I've finished two subjects (only final tests to go!), so next week I can get more time to give myself a little special treat. I also took two midterm tests this morning and they were all good (yay me!). So, I'm quite happy right now <|:-). Problems *quite* solved.

This Sunday my classmates and I are taking part in a small event held by our English Department's Youth Union. The event name is Qureen which is a combination of Queen and Green. There'll be many activities related to promoting environmental protection and raising awareness among teachers and students. I'm really excited about this as I'll be in charge of designing an environmental friendly outfit as well as decorating our table. I'll try to take some photos while frying food. Don't worry :)

11 Apr 2012

Did you have a nice start of the week? I wish you all have joyous moments and be productive. I personally really need that because I'm having a pile of homework and presentations right now as well as some non-stop mid-term tests ahead. What a busy week! Sometimes I just want to give them up completely, run away, and find myself in a wild, distant, and vast land where I can spend all day being a dreamer and a sky-gazer. But you can't have everything, can you? We have our jobs, our loved ones, and our responsibilities to take care of. Sometimes we wish for a little pause, but life doesn't give us that. Instead, it keeps pushing and making us face one problem after another. It doesn't stop. And yes, it's sometimes good for us. Many a time I find myself in that situation and appreciate the fact that the most inspiring moments usually come out of good pressure. So, to sum up, I'll stop complain and get it done :).

Here are some lovely finds this week, mostly DIYs and funny fonts.

Anthotype - a DIY tutorial. I didn't know that plants can be used to make photos!

9 Apr 2012

So how was your weekend? Mine was lovely enough. I've got this part-time job on Sunday morning teaching English for some 12th graders who will soon face the university entrance exam this July (like me last year!). As a freshman, I could choose another job to teach students in lower grades because it would be easier, but I've chosen this job, which is interesting and really boosts my knowledge. The preparation for each morning takes quite a lot of time though. Anyway, I'm glad I've got this job :).

So a new week has started. Let's meet all the challenges and, perhaps, make some new friends, like the photo above :)

Are you ready for this weekend? It's time to relax and have fun. Put on this outfit for an unforgettable night downtown. Let's enjoy the spring with these pops of light coral. I also believe this shade is the new red :).

This week I'm having a really good time blogging not only because I'm in a good mood but also because all our hard work in the last two weeks has been paid off. I'm glad I've managed to get rid of the stress before it could break out into a terrible depression. All I've done was just trying to look on the bright side. I almost had a mind block when I couldn't think of any idea or answer to anything. So I sit back and consider the seriousness (I mean the size) of that problem I'm dealing with. It turned out that it's NOT that all difficult to get over! I was just overwhelmed by tons of work suddenly falling down on me, and I only saw the outside of it. I was so easily scared! But after reconsidering things and LOTS of junk food and some coffee candies, I'm happy and productive again :-). What's more, the results are not too bad :-). Yay!

4 Apr 2012

Speaking of flats, now I've realized that I really love them but I couldn't find a pair of 'decent' flats in my home :-O. Gotta be on the hunt for a new pair (apparently!). You know, in Vietnam, a lot of girls like and wear flats, which is so cute. But with the sun shining so hard here, we have to wear them with socks (thin or thick, it depends) in addition to jackets, masks, and stuffs, which make us all look like ninjas! I don't quite like the mix of socks and flats. Leggings are acceptable though.

It's also one of the reasons why I just stick to my Converse all the time. It's comfy and really makes my race around the campus a lot easier. I just think sometimes the sun does discourage our sense of fashion.

Happy Wednesday everybody! I hope you've had a good day whether at work doing your best for a new project, or at school working hard for the upcoming mid-term tests (like me!), or at sea enjoying the soothing breeze. Wish you all the best!

Here are some lovely finds this week. Enjoy!

Kitchen makeover? You should pay good attention to those shelves. They really transform the look.

2 Apr 2012

Here's my first free printable for you guys! I'm so in love with this quote that I've made a mini poster out of it. You can download it here. This poster is 8.27 x 11.69 in (A4 size). Please spread the words or link back if you find it lovely enough :). Thanks.

Btw, there's a love song (not actually a happy one) I want to share, too. Here's Your Love, with vocals from Tim Rice-Oxley from Keane (a rare one he sings, and we fans are just O_O lol).

There was a storm yesterday, and it was like freezing. What's worse, the power was also cut (without warning of course!). I wish I had someone to hug and share the warmth last night :"). You lucky couples out there should cherish these moments. So often we roll in each other's arms but it's tough times that we can feel the caring warmth. After the storm, everything shines.